Tech to Offer Anthropology Degree

Michigan Tech will offer a new bachelor's degree in anthropology starting next fall. The Board of Control approved the new program Friday, Dec. 9.

Students are already planning to enroll. "We have students in our department right now who are waiting for the degree to start up," said Carol MacLennan, an associate professor of social sciences.

The new program is part of an ongoing effort to expand the number of degrees offered by Michigan Tech, as well as to attract a wider range of students. "Based upon enrollments in anthropology programs on other university campuses, we expect that this will broaden our appeal, particularly among women and underrepresented groups," said Bruce Seely, chair of the Department of Social Sciences.

Students majoring in anthropology will be able to focus in two specialties: environmental anthropology, which examines the relationship between humans and their environment, and archaeology. The two areas take advantage of the department's expertise, particularly in industrial archaeology and environmental policy. "We have anthropology faculty of national stature, and this new degree is an excellent fit, both for them and for our students," Seely said.

Anthropology majors will be able to work closely with faculty and participate in research as undergraduates.

"We emphasize fieldwork, so whether students are studying archaeology or environmental anthropology, they will be doing work off campus," MacLennan said.

"The anthropologists are already excited about the new program," she added. "It ties directly into our research, and, more importantly, it gives us an opportunity to introduce students to a completely different way of looking at the world."

Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.